PAJU, South Korea — A team of five motorcyclists from New Zealand made a rare crossing of the
world’s most militarized border yesterday as part of a ride for peace from the far north of North
Korea at Mount Baekdu to the South Korean island of Jeju.

On a journey home from Russia’s Far East, the bikers were allowed by the two Koreas to cross
along a corridor near the west coast that has been cleared of land mines and is used by South
Koreans visiting the jointly run Kaesong factory zone.

“We’re riding between Baekdu-san and Halla-san to make the point really that Korea has a
5,000-year history. It’s an amazing history,” said Gareth Morgan, one of the riders.

“Korea really is one country. The issue we all face is how do we get back to that?” he said
after crossing into the South on the trip that his team calls “The Long Drop.”

The two Koreas remain split under a truce that ended fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War.
Tensions peaked this year as the North, under international sanctions for nuclear and missile
tests, issued daily threats to attack the South and its ally, the United States.

The crossing by the bikers comes as the two sides try to engage in dialogue, with the North
seeking to rise above its isolation.

Morgan said earlier that the riders had “an amazing amount of cooperation” from the North.
Foreign visitors to the reclusive nation are rarely allowed access to parts of the country without
government minders tailing them.